I’ve been contemplating writing about my plastic surgery experience with the fear of what others may think. I’ve always been the type of person who wants to please everybody. I never want to offend and reluctant to share information that may cause others to think different of me. But then I came across a quote I heard while reading listening to my latest book on Audible.
It’s been my latest “thing.” Listening to books while jogging away on the treadmill. I’ve replaced my reggaeton jams for inspirational literature. My latest is Rachel Hollis‘, “Girl, Wash Your Face” and I am hooked on this girl’s mantra.
My Plastic Surgery Experience + Latest Book Obsession
Chapter after chapter I find myself comparing life experiences. OK, maybe I didn’t move to California and work as an events planner for some uber-fancy clientele, but like Rachel, I found myself holding back from pursuing dreams at the thought of what others may think.
This girl put aside her fears and the thought of what others may think and built herself a thriving business and has become an inspiration to many others.
She is real and does not shy from revealing her shortcomings if it means helping you come to terms and accepting yours.
In the book, Rachel recalls a conversation with someone who told her, “Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.” And just like that, many of those paralyzing hesitations suddenly vanished.
I won’t say all because I’m still a work in progress. It took that phrase for me to finally realize that I should not hold value to what others think of me but rather hold value to what I think of myself.
And so with that, I finally decided to share my plastic surgery experience with you all. I hope to help others who may have questions or are curious about what to expect during breast augmentation surgery.
I also feel that people don’t tell you the bad parts of their plastic surgery experience so I will share mine.
Breast Augmentation Story
In August 2018, I had my breast augmentation surgery and it was not the experience I was hoping for. I had always wanted to have larger breasts and had contemplated getting them done before.
I had a consultation about 8 years prior but never went through with the surgery. Maybe it was because I was OK, not super happy, but OK with my B-cup and felt a push up was all I needed to get the look I was after. Then I had kids.
Breastfeeding two kids really took a toll on my breasts. During the year that I breastfed my second, my breast took a turn for the worse. They were asymmetrical and uneven. I made the decision to have the surgery after feeling so embarrassed while wearing swimsuits.
My husband and I decided we weren’t having any more kids (I still haven’t accepted that 100%, but that’s another story) so he mentioned that if it was something that would make me feel better about myself to go for it.
I had always heard of Dr. Michael Ciaravino and the many beautiful ladies he had performed breast augmentations for AND the guy is nicknamed ‘The Breast Doc’ so c’mon, how could you not, right?
I had my consultation with his assistant, who also had her surgery performed by Dr. Ciaravino, and she went over expectations before, during, and after surgery. I think I asked a handful of girls that work there about their experience with breast augmentation and they all had the same answer — It was, “the best decision they ever made.”
The hardest part, I think, was paying the money. But this is one purchase that I’m not willing to go cheap on. You can expect to pay $4000- $7000 for breast augmentation and if you are paying around $1000 — girl you better run!
Day of Surgery
On the day of surgery, I went in and met with the doctor before going to the OR and kissed my husband goodbye as they directed me to another room.
In that room, they inserted my IV, and then we walked into the OR where they laid me on the bed and 30 seconds later, I was out like a light.
I woke up in a warm bed, groggy, and extremely sleepy. I was not in any pain but I was so freaking tired! The whole ride home, all I wanted to do was sleep. We got some food to take home, but when I took one bite it all came up. The meds must have made me nauseous.
I had a follow-up appointment a week later and everything seemed fine. I did mention to the nurse that when I would sleep on my right side, my right arm would go numb. This would freak me out!
I would have to change positions often to keep this from happening.
I would also have to shake my arm to get that numbing feeling to go away. She assured me that it was just my sleeping position, but I told her it would happen if I stretched my arm over my head like if putting on a shirt and again, she said it was my sleeping position.
To this day, I don’t think that was the right answer, but it did eventually go away after a few weeks.  Then, shortly after my one-week follow-up, it happened. Now if you’ve ever had breast surgery, you know the first thing they tell you is not to pick up any heavy objects including your baby.
Well, I will admit I didn’t follow doctor’s orders. I had a 14-month old for heaven’s sake, do you know how hard it is to not pick them up? I tried to follow instructions but there would be times where she would fall and my mom reflexes would kick in and I would jerk to catch her fall.
Well, I don’t know if that had anything to do with what came next but I remember it was a Thursday morning and I woke up to a tight left breast. It was more painful than before and the right one was not feeling this amount of pain.
It felt as if my muscle had cramped.
Along with this tightness, I noticed the breast was slightly higher than before. I tried to massage gently but it would not go away. So I got dressed and went to work.
After about an hour at work, the pain started to get worse. I went into the bathroom and noticed my left breast was twice the size of the right. I called the nurse and they asked me to send them a pic. As soon as they received it they asked me to come in immediately. I freaked out!
Surgery Risks + Precautions
The tone in their voice was concerning. I bolted out of work and drove straight to their office. The physician’s assistant examined me and informed me that I had a hematoma. HE-MA-What??!??Â
I remember reading this in the risks section of the surgery packet, but you never think it would happen to you. You kind of just skim past that part.
She said I would have to go into surgery that afternoon. Hematomas are when you have a collection of blood outside of blood vessels. They are caused by injury to the wall of a blood vessel causing blood to leak out into surrounding tissue.
This commonly happens during an injury or surgery, as in my case. Hematomas cause swelling and can be painful. Mine was super painful.
I drove myself to the surgeon’s office. I remember that I would be unable to drive myself home after surgery so I decided to take my car home (45 minutes away) and have my husband bring me back.
That round-trip was excruciating!
The more time went by, the more painful it became. I felt like my boob was going to explode.
When I returned, they were ready to get me into the operating room. Dr. Ciaravino was there to explain the procedure and was concerned for my well-being which made me feel a little better.
He explained that they would have to make another incision to drain the blood and then singe the vessel that was leaking. When I woke up after the surgery, I was so relieved to not be feeling that pain anymore!
Having this second surgery did restart my recovery time and it meant I would have to wear the “special bra” a little bit longer. This bra is just a supportive bra that you must wear at all times for a few weeks after surgery to help with the recovery. Think of it as a super supportive sports bra.
Recovery After Surgery
My main concern was how this prolonged recovery would affect my young kids. Ava was still in a crib and I needed assistance getting her in and out. My husband was super supportive during this time.
I will admit that for about the first couple of months I was contemplating my decision. I was not as happy as I saw the girls at the surgeon’s office. This was not, ‘the best decision I had ever made.‘
As time went on, they started to settle into their rightful place and looked more natural.
I look like I did when I was in my early twenties. Not too big, but sporty and functional. I’m still hesitant to do some upper-body workouts, but I may start incorporating some exercises soon.
My plastic surgery experience is not picture-perfect, but I’m finally happy that I did go through with the surgery. My confidence is back and I love how my clothes fit.
I’m also looking forward to Summer and bikinis! If you have a similar plastic surgery experience, I’d love to hear about it!
